Sage in the storm

All the preparation for Australia tour pays off for Pujara whose ton shields wobbly India in Adelaide

Unlike what happens at the grounds in India, anyone can walk in to watch a practice session at the Adelaide Oval ahead of a Test match. Fans can stand right beside the practice arena to have a close glimpse of their heroes. Prior to the first day’s play in the ongoing Test, fans of Indian cricket would flock to the visitors’ net sessions to click selfies and take autographs.

One man the majority didn’t pursue was Cheteshwar Pujara. While the fans shouted Kohli-Kohli or Rohit-Rohit, Pujara would pass them undisturbed. He is not the glamour boy. In fact, it’s held he can get runs only in home conditions or in countries like West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh where conditions are less challenging.

Before this Test, only two of his 15 tons had come in England, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. One was in 2013 against South Africa and the other in England this year. And each time, he got a ton in familiar conditions, views would be circulated about Pujara being at ease only in genial settings.

But yesterday, the silent man probably played the most significant Test innings for India in a long time. Not only did he reach his first ton in Australia, it also took India from an unsteady 1/3 on the last ball of the second over to 250/9 in 87.5 overs, an ill-timed run cutting short his monumental knock. To put things into perspective, his 123 was the third highest score by a visiting batsman on an opening day of a Test series in India. For Pujara, a lot of planning had gone into getting ready for the Australia tour.

The preparations had started right after he returned home from the England tour. Pujara spent hours at his academy in Rajkot. He had practised on cement wickets and astro-turf to get ready for the bouncy tracks in Australia. He had worked on playing the square-cut, pull, hook, upper-cut and back-foot punch. He was aware that the key to scoring runs in Australia was to play the rising ball and being patient against the accuracy of the Australian bowlers.

It turned out to be a disastrous first morning of the opening Test at the Adelaide Oval for the visiting Indians as they collapsed to 56 for 4 against Australia. It would have been worse for the Indian fans in India who would have woken-up as early as 5.30 to watch the live telecast on a working day.

This was not done to add aggression to his game, but just to be ready for the job requirement in Australia. And all those hard yards showed result yesterday. Patience has always been his virtue. Yesterday, he took 30 balls to move from 11to 12. That was a period when India were 65/4, and Rohit Sharma was looking like he has found his groove.

Pujara was not aggressive in his shotmaking but aggressive in defense. Unlike M Vijay, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, he was not showing his intent in going after the wide balls and edging it to the waiting fielders behind the stumps. He was showing his intent by weathering the early storm.

In no hurry at all

He was not in a hurry to win the race but was slowly assessing the situation. He was just 19 and the team on 86, when India lost their last specialist batsman, Rohit Sharma. Rishabh Pant got out with the score on 127 but Pujara found an able partner in R Ashwin with whom he added 62 for the seventh wicket. He brought up his 50 with a single off Starc.

Then his preparation came in handy when he lost Ashwin with India at 189. Australia were looking to dismiss India early. Pujara not only showcased his array of shots, but he also shielded the likes of Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami by often refusing singles on the first three balls. He quietly moved into the 80s but it was a hooked six off Josh Hazelwood that took him to 95 and a pulled four helped him reach 99.

A couple off Mitchell Starc took him to a ton, which not only Pujara but also those who have sniggered at him in the past will remember for a long time. The second six of his innings was hit over backward point. Speaking about fewer tons in unfamiliar conditions, Pujara said, “It means a lot. People have always said that I have scored more runs in India but you also need to look at the number of matches we play back home.

If we have played a number of matches in India, obviously I will score runs there. At times, I have had a bad phase playing overseas but I still feel very confident playing in different conditions. Playing county cricket has helped me a lot. Playing in England, conditions are always challenging. And when you come to Australia, you know that pitches are slightly better. I had decent time to prepare myself before the Test series.”